Apple's New 16-Inch MacBook Pro Charger Has a Compatibility Issue

[MacRumors]

The latest version of Apple's 140W USB-C Power Adapter included with 16-inch MacBook Pro models with the M5 Pro or M5 Max chip has an issue for some.

After the 16-inch MacBook Pro was updated last month, customers in some countries began to notice that Apple's 140W USB-C Power Adapter that comes with it has a subtle design change that breaks compatibility with Apple's Power Adapter Extension Cable.

Specifically, while the charger continues to have a removable plug, Apple has apparently tweaked the design of the underlying male connector with two pins. The connector now has a slimmer pill-like shape, whereas it previously had a modified C7 design. Due to this change, the new charger does not work with Apple's Power Adapter Extension Cable, which still has a female connector designed to match the previous male connector.

The redesigned male connector (on the right in the photo)​

Oddly, Apple's product page for the Power Adapter Extension Cable says the cable is compatible with its 140W USB-C power adapters, despite this issue.

Apple's discontinued World Travel Adapter Kit is also incompatible with the version of Apple's 140W USB-C Power Adapter with the redesigned male connector.

The new design has been spotted in Australia and China, but other customers have said their power adapters are not affected, so it is a hit-or-miss situation. We have yet to confirm exactly which countries are impacted by this issue, or if the 140W USB-C Power Adapter that Apple sells separately is affected by this change anywhere.

We have reached out to Apple for comment.

Article Link: Apple's New 16-Inch MacBook Pro Charger Has a Compatibility Issue

 

[t0rqx]

Maybe deep dive into the 16inch M5 Max and this power adapter and you will notice under load the charger is not able to keep up with the pace and unable to effectively charge this Macbook.

In other words another penny pinching scheme.

 

[DBZmusicboy01]

😒 this is why I don’t have confidence in Tim anymore. Too many missteps in a short amount of time iOS 26 being his worst.

 

[F23]

Tim yet again cooking us with his sneaky tactics. April Fools Timmy boy

 

[HouseLannister]

😒 this is why I don’t have confidence in Tim anymore. Too many missteps in a short amount of time iOS 26 being his worst.

If you want the CEO to do tasks like edit a compatibility listing on a webpage, then he will be way too busy to even bother with things like iOS. I do not think proofreading is part of his job description, but if you insist.

 

[btrach144]

Steve Jobs would never

 

[B4U]

So glad to have the world travel adapter kit. That was a life saver!
It was lying on the shelf and I bought it at a whim.

 

[thejadedmonkey]

The old form is also a standard, and any 2-prong cable will fit in there - like if you have one from a PS2, you can use it with this adapter.

The new one isn't a standard that I've ever seen before.

 

[timonz]

For travel I have a bunch of international plugs that snap in to the power adapter (thanks aliexpress). I guess I'll be paying a few bucks for new ones.

 

[jarman92]

This plug has been the same for like 20 years and watch people here scream bloody murder about “planned obsolescence” 😂

 

[switz]

Changes to inconvenience the customer is the new definition of customer service. Meanwhile down the stable, we say the stallion serviced the mare....

 

[purplefox]

My guess is that's a fake one.

 

[platinumaqua]

This plug has been the same for like 20 years and watch people here scream bloody murder about “planned obsolescence” 😂

The old plug was IEC 60320 compatible. There's really no point to changing that.

 

[DribbleCastle]

Our business ordered several M5 MBP's with the 140w power adapter and they use the traditional extension connector (pictured on left). I'm in the USA. Seemingly, this is only in certain regions, as mentioned in the article.

 

[maruyama]

@Joe Rossignol Might be worth calling out in the article that the "old" connector wasn't just a thicker one with a triangle cutout; it was a sligthly modified IEC C7 connector that you could use non-Apple extender cables with.

Apple has been good about using industry standard connectors in recent years so this is an unexpected turn after using a C7-compatible connector for 2+ decades!

 

[Neepman]

This plug has been the same for like 20 years and watch people here scream bloody murder about “planned obsolescence” 😂

As they should. Changing this from what has been a broad electrical standard for a quarter century is absurd.

 

[jarman92]

Maybe deep dive into the 16inch M5 Max and this power adapter and you will notice under load the charger is not able to keep up with the pace and unable to effectively charge this Macbook.

In other words another penny pinching scheme.

How is it “penny pinching?” There’s no way the MBP can sustain > 140W for any significant time, and that’s what the battery is for. There are also very few, if any, chargers on the market capable of delivering > 140W through a single port.

If you need that much power you need to get a desktop.

 

[ThomasJL]

Tim Cook supporters would be happy if Cook decided to greedily remove chargers from the box and charge extra money for them, just like he did with iPhones.

 

[jarman92]

The old plug was IEC 60320 compatible. There's really no point to changing that.

And also no benefit to Apple in doing so. Meaning there’s either a good reason for the change or there’s more to the story (seems like a few posters here have the charger and say the connector is the same).

 

[Naraxus]

😒 this is why I don’t have confidence in Tim anymore. Too many missteps in a short amount of time iOS 26 being his worst.

Where's the eye roll emote when you need one.....

 

[jarman92]

Tim Cook supporters would be happy if Cook decided to greedily remove chargers from the box and charge extra money for them, just like he did with iPhones.

Lol what would be the motivation here? As noted in the article, Apple doesn’t sell travel adapters anymore. You think they’re just really desperate to sell more $19 extension cables? Please.

 

[Anonymous123]

If you want the CEO to do tasks like edit a compatibility listing on a webpage, then he will be way too busy to even bother with things like iOS. I do not think proofreading is part of his job description, but if you insist.

This goes beyond proofreading. This is a compatibility issue at the design level and frankly it’s embarrassing it doesn’t work with the company’s own product. It was probably changed in an effort to pinch pennies so it absolutely should be part of his oversight.

 

[Joe Rossignol]

@Joe Rossignol Might be worth calling out in the article that the "old" connector wasn't just a thicker one with a triangle cutout; it was a sligthly modified IEC C7 connector that you could use non-Apple extender cables with.

Apple has been good about using industry standard connectors in recent years so this is an unexpected turn after using a C7-compatible connector for 2+ decades!

Sure, added.

 

[macsimcon]

Only Apple would redesign something just to **** with its customers. Such an ******* move.

 

[HMWausau]

This makes absolutely zero sense. It's not about compatibility with the Apple charging cable. It's compatiblity with ANY 2 prong cables that often get used for this. (such as the power cable from a mac mini, or airport that you have lying around)

The only reason I could think it matters is some sort of electrical code where the extension must be a grounded connector and using the 2 prong cable would make it against code. But even then, they've been using the same connector since oh, about 2001 so it's an odd change to say the least.